(06-15-2013 12:13 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(06-15-2013 09:04 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  Teams end up going to the same bowls, playing against the same teams, same conferences. They need to figure out how to switch that up. And coming up with a bowl game in Dubai is not a good way to do it.

Scrap all conference tie ins to bowls and select the teams based upon new, more interesting (less often, less stale) matchups.

It won't happen, though. But, that would do the trick, I think.

I have been saying this for years. With the exception of the legacy bowl tie-ins (B1G and Pac-12 to the Rose, SEC to the Sugar, etc.), the remainder are what I call "paint by number" matchups. Big XII #6 versus Pac-12 #4. MAC #2 versus Sun Belt #1. An idiot--or a computer--can put together those games. You sure as hell don't need "bowl scouts" (which is the most worthless job anyway).

Pair teams in bowls based upon geography, interesting matchups, playing styles, etc.

And this idea of putting bowls in Bermuda, Dubai, and other far-off places might be a nice idea for the players and administrators, but would mean nothing to fans. It's just another step towards playing games in television studios instead of stadiums.

(06-18-2013 07:40 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Actually I would go to a bowl game in Puerto Rico. It's no different than flying to the Beef O Brady's bowl for a lot of people. Unless your in that group of people who refuse to fly anywhere.

The biggest problem I see coming for the bottom teir garbage bowls is that they will now be primarily uninteresting match-ups between non-AQ also rans---many in unattractive cities in poor venues. These bowls are nothing more that nuetral site OOC games between non-AQ schools. Unless these bowls have relatively low ticket prices and represent close cheap driveable destinations--they will attract small crowds. There's not going to be many fans willing ante up for expensive tickets and expensive flights to international destinations to watch a pair mid-tier non-AQ schools play. Keep the trips short and try for the nicest places you can that fit that close driveable criteria. Places like Boca Raton or even the central Texas town of San Marcos make some sense as lower tier bowls sites to me. Dubai and Puerto Rico do not.

At this point for the piss poor G5 bowls they are going to need to be in a place I'd want to go for a vacation for me to actually go. Miami would be good, and I actually think the Bahama's or Puerto Rico are good ideas. I'd be more likely to go to one of those games than Birmingham, Shreveport, Mobile, Montgomery, or any of these other locations that are just not desirable. If the opponent isn't going to be desirable the location needs to be, so adding games in places like Orlando, Boca, Miami, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, etc is what needs to happen.

(06-18-2013 08:44 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 07:40 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Actually I would go to a bowl game in Puerto Rico. It's no different than flying to the Beef O Brady's bowl for a lot of people. Unless your in that group of people who refuse to fly anywhere.

Never understood why Puerto Rico hasn't gotten traction. No passport hassles there.

Perhaps when Puerto Rico becomes the 51st state...

Bill in U.S. Congress seeks vote on Puerto Rican statehood

(06-18-2013 08:44 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 07:40 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Actually I would go to a bowl game in Puerto Rico. It's no different than flying to the Beef O Brady's bowl for a lot of people. Unless your in that group of people who refuse to fly anywhere.

Never understood why Puerto Rico hasn't gotten traction. No passport hassles there.

Getting passports isn't really that much of a hassle.

I've got two, one from the USA and one from the Republic of Ireland.

Getting a passport should not be an impediment if a fan wants to go overseas to attend a bowl game.

(06-18-2013 10:37 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 08:44 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 07:40 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Actually I would go to a bowl game in Puerto Rico. It's no different than flying to the Beef O Brady's bowl for a lot of people. Unless your in that group of people who refuse to fly anywhere.

Never understood why Puerto Rico hasn't gotten traction. No passport hassles there.

Getting passports isn't really that much of a hassle.

I've got two, one from the USA and one from the Republic of Ireland.

Getting a passport should not be an impediment if a fan wants to go overseas to attend a bowl game.

Getting 100+ passports on short notice for a college football team, coaches, trainers, and managers is an impediment.

Not concerned about the fans. The concern is getting the fees paid and the supporting documentation in place for the participants on short notice.

(06-18-2013 10:45 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 10:37 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 08:44 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 07:40 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Actually I would go to a bowl game in Puerto Rico. It's no different than flying to the Beef O Brady's bowl for a lot of people. Unless your in that group of people who refuse to fly anywhere.

Never understood why Puerto Rico hasn't gotten traction. No passport hassles there.

Getting passports isn't really that much of a hassle.

I've got two, one from the USA and one from the Republic of Ireland.

Getting a passport should not be an impediment if a fan wants to go overseas to attend a bowl game.

Getting 100+ passports on short notice for a college football team, coaches, trainers, and managers is an impediment.

Not concerned about the fans. The concern is getting the fees paid and the supporting documentation in place for the participants on short notice.

My wife got an expedited replacement passport in three weeks.

I think that it can be done on short notice. Will it cost some money? Sure.

(06-18-2013 10:54 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 10:45 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 10:37 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 08:44 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 07:40 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Actually I would go to a bowl game in Puerto Rico. It's no different than flying to the Beef O Brady's bowl for a lot of people. Unless your in that group of people who refuse to fly anywhere.

Never understood why Puerto Rico hasn't gotten traction. No passport hassles there.

Getting passports isn't really that much of a hassle.

I've got two, one from the USA and one from the Republic of Ireland.

Getting a passport should not be an impediment if a fan wants to go overseas to attend a bowl game.

Getting 100+ passports on short notice for a college football team, coaches, trainers, and managers is an impediment.

Not concerned about the fans. The concern is getting the fees paid and the supporting documentation in place for the participants on short notice.

My wife got an expedited replacement passport in three weeks.

I think that it can be done on short notice. Will it cost some money? Sure.

About $30,000 and that's assuming no issues running down the needed documents. With about 2/3rds of the people involved being from out-of-state getting it all together would be a mess.

If you can't afford a passport you don't need to be going to bowl games anyway, seriously. Forget the game I would go to a bowl in Puerto Rico just for the women lol.

Affording it isn't the question, it's a question of getting it in time. Depending on when the bowl is you might have less than 3 weeks to get it.

(06-19-2013 03:03 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  Affording it isn't the question, it's a question of getting it in time. Depending on when the bowl is you might have less than 3 weeks to get it.

Or, you could just get a passport to have one.

(06-19-2013 04:18 PM)UpStreamRedTeam Wrote:  

(06-19-2013 03:03 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  Affording it isn't the question, it's a question of getting it in time. Depending on when the bowl is you might have less than 3 weeks to get it.

Or, you could just get a passport to have one.

I wonder how many fans would actually do that though.

(06-19-2013 04:18 PM)UpStreamRedTeam Wrote:  

(06-19-2013 03:03 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  Affording it isn't the question, it's a question of getting it in time. Depending on when the bowl is you might have less than 3 weeks to get it.

Or, you could just get a passport to have one.

Most Americans don't have a passport. I only have one because my wife had a business trip to Canada and I wanted to go with her.

Interesting that on one hand I hear complaints that obtaining a $5 ID card to be able to enter a Federal building is an unfair burden and $165 for a passport is not a big deal even with an added $60 for expedited service or $12.85 for overnight delivery.

I'm not sure the schools can even pay for the passports under NCAA rules.

(06-20-2013 08:42 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(06-19-2013 04:18 PM)UpStreamRedTeam Wrote:  

(06-19-2013 03:03 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  Affording it isn't the question, it's a question of getting it in time. Depending on when the bowl is you might have less than 3 weeks to get it.

Or, you could just get a passport to have one.

Most Americans don't have a passport. I only have one because my wife had a business trip to Canada and I wanted to go with her.

Interesting that on one hand I hear complaints that obtaining a $5 ID card to be able to enter a Federal building is an unfair burden and $165 for a passport is not a big deal even with an added $60 for expedited service or $12.85 for overnight delivery.

I'm not sure the schools can even pay for the passports under NCAA rules.

What I'm saying is, forget about the stupid bowl game, everyone should just get a passport. It's good for ten years and there are hundreds of great places you can go.

In half of US households a passport costs a full day's pay of all household members (before taxes) or more.

I know some fairly recent college grads who would have to spend two day's pay or a day and half to get one.

I doubt you ever see more than 40-45% of Americans holding passports any time soon.

I don't have one. If I planned on going somewhere that I needed it, I'd get one.

(06-20-2013 11:49 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  In half of US households a passport costs a full day's pay of all household members (before taxes) or more.

I know some fairly recent college grads who would have to spend two day's pay or a day and half to get one.

I doubt you ever see more than 40-45% of Americans holding passports any time soon.

Exactly. The last thing I feel like doing is standing in long lines at an inefficient government passport office jumping through the little hoops that each little office staff has in place. Why would I do that to watch a pair of mid-tier non-AQ's play? Just pick a decent stadium in a relatively warm weather location that's within driving distance of a bunch of non-AQ schools. That's the only formula that will work for these bottom tier garbage bowls.

What exactly makes them garbage bowls? If the #1 MAC and #1 Sun Belt play in Mobile, is it still a garbage bowl because the payout isn't high? (Or maybe because of the name...)

These overseas bowls and island bowls never pan out. School's don't travel heavily to them, and just like the pitiful bowl games in Hawaii, the locals could care less. Most average income fans are busy preparing for the holidays and are spent out.

(06-20-2013 01:22 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  What exactly makes them garbage bowls? If the #1 MAC and #1 Sun Belt play in Mobile, is it still a garbage bowl because the payout isn't high? (Or maybe because of the name...)

They are garbage bowls by definition---they are the bowls no power conference wanted anything to do with. Plus the pay outs will be pathetic. That said, a couple will at least have conference champs and will be decent games. in fact, Ive already said I hope we schedule bowls vs the MAC champ in Florida and the Sunbelt champ in New Orleans. Unfortunately, while a couple of the games will be interesting due to the presence of a conference champion, the vast majority of G-5 bowls will involve no champ. The majority of G5 bowls will be one non-AQ also-ran vs another non-AQ also-ran---not exactly the Rose Bowl.